Counselors' Corner

Gail Jeffery                    Counseling Secretary/Registrar

STUDENT SUCCESS

Brier Terrace Middle School operates on the belief that all students can be successful and we

provide programs and opportunities to facilitate student success.  Our minimal level of acceptable student performance is achieving "C" grades.  Progress reports for second trimester were given to students to take home on February 5th.  Please make sure you have seen it and

continue to monitor your child's progress via Skyward Online system no less than once a week.

One of the greatest indicators of students success is parent involvement.

Your child needs you and so do we!!!

We appreciate your continued involvement with your son's or daughter's educational development as well as your careful monitoring of his/her friends and outside activities.  It is so important that you know who your child is spending time with, texting, calling, and/or in contact with via e-mail, instant messaging, or on MySpace.  It is equally important for you to know the parents of your son or daughter's friends.  Although it is a time of individuation evidence by your pre-teenager's desire to keep you at arm's length, there is no doubt that he/she still needs you to maintain clear and consistent boundaries and limitations.

We are now in our third and final trimester of this school year.  If your child has not passed at least two out of three trimesters in core classes (English, Math, Social Studies, or Science), we strongly recommend Summer School.  This year it will be held at Lynnwood High School.  Middle School students may take up to two classes, each 1 1/2 hours long, for one month.  Social Studies, Math, and English are offered at a cost of $150 per course.  Applications will be available in May.  It is important to begin planning and saving for summer school now so that your child will be ready to advance to either 8th or 9th grade.

Did you know that our own public libraries offer services to help students complete their homework assignments?  Sno-Isle Libraries offer Live Homework Help, which provides real-time, on-line tutoring in English, Math, and Science.  It is available from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm seven days a week.  Homework help in Spanish is available Sunday through Thursday, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  If you are interested contact www.sno-isle.org or call your local library.

Brier Library: 425.483.0888

Lynnwood Library: 425.778.2148

Mountlake Terrace Library: 425.776.8722

As always, please feel free to contact any of us with question and/or concerns.  We're here to serve you and your child and we appreciate your support.

Debbie Lasky-Fink                Margaret Daniels  Sara Garner

                         7th Grade Counselor             8th Grade Counselors

New program helping 7th and 8th graders

set their sights on college

Washington middle-school students who dream of going to college but worry their families won't be able to afford it have a new promise from the state: Work hard in school, keep your grades up, stay out of trouble, and a four-year scholarship could be yours.

The College Bound Scholarship offers an incentive for students and families who otherwise might not consider college an option because of the cost.  The scholarship covers college tuition, fees and books for students from low-income families who sign a pledge in 7th or 8th grade promising to graduate from high school and demonstrate good citizenship, and is guaranteed for students who meet the eligibility criteria.

About 56,000 students are eligible to apply this year.  Eighth grade students must apply by June 1, 2008, while this year's seventh graders will have until June 1, 2009.  Family income must be 65 percent or less than the state's median family income at the time the student graduates from high school.  (Currently, 65 percent of the median family income is $38,300 for a family of four).

Note: Seventh and eighth grader students can apply now for the scholarships, either online through the HECB website, at: www.hecb.wa.gov/collegebound or by requesting an application from their school.